Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. (Philippians 4:11-12, NASB)
How content are you with your golf game presently? Is it a joy or a struggle? Take this question another step deeper: how content are you with the life you have been given? Both golf and life are hard, but life has eternal significance now and later.
Contentment understands that God has placed you right where you are now and has equipped you for his purpose.I cherish the attribute of contentment. I saw it lived out through my dad. He was a contented man in every season of life. He learned contentment from his dad. Contentment is not something we go out and try hard to obtain and assimilate into our life like the fruits of the Spirit. Contentment is a by-product of a loving relationship with Jesus as we begin to understand and appreciate the season in which we have been placed.
Contentment understands that God has placed you right where you are now and has equipped you for his purpose. It does not mean that you have to solve all the world’s problems. You are not chocolate. God wants you to be who he created you to be and no one else. The blessing in doing so results in contentment. The next verse in Philippians 4 says, “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.” It is a joint venture. God leads, and we contentedly follow.
Never make the mistake of saying that tomorrow I will be useful and do all these amazing things. Be content in the season God has placed you. The season of life is for a reason, no matter how great or small the service. We have an audience of One, and we have this precious moment God has given us to be content.
Here’s a favorite poem that reminds me of the need to be content:
Present Tense
It was spring, but it was summer I wanted, the warm days, and the great outdoors.
It was summer, but it was fall I wanted, the colorful leaves, and the cool, dry air.
It was fall, but it was winter I wanted, the snow, and the joy of the holiday season.
It was winter, but it was spring I wanted, the warmth and the blossoming of nature.
I was a child, but it was adulthood I wanted, the freedom and respect.
I was 20, but it was 30 I wanted, to be mature, and sophisticated.
I was middle-aged, but it was 20 I wanted, the youth and the free spirit.
I was retired, but it was middle age I wanted, the presence of mind without limitations.
My life was over, and I never got what I wanted.
– Written by Jason Lehman, 1989, age 14 –
I know this—God wants to give us the abundant life. I also know it leads to contentment. I have seen it lived out, and now, by God’s grace, I am living it.
—
Randy Wolff
September 1, 2016
Copyright 2016 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.